ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
CBC Advertisement Rates for Private FM Radios Revised by Ministry of I&B After 7 years
Base rate increased by 43 percent, City Wise Rate for Stations also to significantly increase depending on listenership
The rising popularity of private FM channels in the country numbering over 380 in several Indian languages and in most States of the country has been an important platform for the Central Government to inform people about the policies and programmes of the Government to help citizens avail of the various schemes and welfare programmes. In this context, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has approved new rates for advertisements to be issued on private FM radio stations for the Government policies and programmes based on the recommendations of the Rate Structure Committee set up by it. This marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts of the Ministry to ensure a fair and sustainable pricing framework for private FM radio stations.
The new rates approved by the Ministry in the month of September,2023 includes a 43 per cent increase in the base rate taking into account the rising costs dynamics for the period of December 2015 to March 2023. With this increase, the Gross Base rate for FM radio advertisement will increase from 52 to 74 rupees per ten seconds. This adjustment is intended to maintain parity with current market rates. The increase in Gross base Rate will also be beneficial for more than 400 Community Radio Stations that are currently operational in the country.
Further building on the base rate, the Ministry has also decided to continue with the existing pricing formula for calculating City Wise rates. The pricing formula takes into various factors like city population and listenership data from the India Readership Survey  of 2019. Based on this formula along with the enhanced base rate almost all Private FM Radio Stations will benefit from the new recommended rates at varying percentages depending largely on their listenership giving value for both FM stations and the clients of CBC. Based on this formula the rates for 106 stations will increase by 100%, a 50 to 100% increase for 81 stations, and a less than 50% increase for 65 stations for which listenership data is available.
The Rate Structure Committee for Private FM Radio Stations was set up by the Ministry last year to evaluate and recommend new rates which were last revised in 2015. The Committee submitted its recommendations after holdings several rounds of meetings with industry experts and stakeholders in addition to taking inputs from bodies like Association of Radio Operators of India.
Ministry of Science & Technology
CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Signs MoU with Foundation for Neglected Disease Research, Bengaluru
Goa : 16 February 2023
CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography  and Foundation for Neglected Disease Research , Bengaluru, signed a Memorandum of Understanding  on 10th February 2023 to develop a long-term collaboration in the areas of “Marine natural product drug discovery”.
The MoU was signed Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh, Director, CSIR-NIO and Dr. Shridhar Narayanan, CEO, FNDR in the presence of, Dr. V.V. Sanil Kumar, Head Business Development Group, Dr. Narsinh .L. Thakur, Head Chemical Oceanography Division and Shri. Venkat Krishnamurthy, Collaborations Desk, of CSIR-NIO.
CSIR-NIO by virtue of its focused research in the field of marine natural product chemistry & bioprospecting is developing marine natural product repository under “Marine Bioprospecting” R&D project, funded by CSIR. FNDR is involved in the screening of marine natural product repositories being developed by CSIR-NIO. This MoU will now facilitate a roadmap for further meaningful interactions that is drawn on mutual strengths of the two organizations in the domain of marine natural product drug discovery.
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 136.66 Cr
More than 62 Lakh doses administered in the last 24 hours
Recovery Rate currently at 98.38% is highest since March 2020
7,145 New Cases reported in the last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload currently  is lowest in 569 days
Weekly Positivity Rate  less than 1% for last 34 days
With the administration of 62,06,244 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 136.66 Cr  as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 1,43,67,288 sessions.
The break-up of the cumulative figure as per the provisional report till 7 am today include:
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,03,86,103
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
96,37,329
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,83,83,832
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
1,67,56,352
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
48,50,44,794
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
28,85,44,859
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
19,11,40,425
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
13,85,69,309
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
11,94,46,163
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
8,86,96,007
|
|
Total
|
|
1,36,66,05,173
The recovery of 8,706 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients  to 3,41,71,471.
Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.38%, highest since March 2020.
Sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend of less than 15,000 Daily New Cases that is being reported for last 51 days now.
7,145 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
India’s Active Caseload is presently at 84,565. This is lowest in 569 days. Active cases constitute 0.24% of the country's total Positive Cases, which is lowest since March 2020.
The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of 12,45,402 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 66.28 Cr  cumulative tests.
While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate at 0.62% remains less than 1% for the last 34 days now. The Daily Positivity rate reported to be 0.57%. The daily Positivity rate has remained below 2% for last 75 days and below 3% for 110 consecutive days now.
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets people on the occasion of Lohri
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the occasion of Lohri.
“Have a wonderful Lohri. May this special festival bring joy and good health in everyone’s lives.
देशवासियों को लोहड़ी की बहुत-बहुत बधाई। उमंग और उल्लास का यह पर्व आप सबके जीवन में सुख और समृद्धि लेकर आए”, the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
Lakshya Zero Dumpsite
Government of India approves ₹403.77 crores Legacy Waste Remediation Proposal of Gujarat
“…the goal of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 is to make a Garbage Free City, a city completely free of garbage”
-Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Established on the westernmost tip of India, Gujarat is one of the most celebrated states in the country. The fifth-largest state by area is well known for its culture and heritage.
Being one of the most developed states in the country, Gujarat has its challenges in the sector of legacy waste management. The State generates around 1.48 lakhs tonnes of waste collected from 79,000 urban municipal councils every day.
Waste management is a massive challenge for the country amid the pandemic. Urban India produces about 1.5 lakh Metric tonnes of municipal solid waste per day. Proper segregation of waste at the source and eliminating the awful construction of landfills across the cities is the key focus area under the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0. Launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1, 2021, the national mission aims to rejuvenate the urban landscapes furthering the vision of New India.
One of the critical components of the mission is ‘Lakshya Zero’ Dumpsite to remediate around 16 crores metric tonnes  of legacy waste dumpsites occupying over 14,000 acres of city land. The legacy waste not only disturbs the ecological balance of its surroundings but also deteriorates and muddles the overall aesthetics of the urban landscapes.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0, a project costing ₹403.77 crores has been formulated for remediating legacy wastes from landfills in Gujarat.
To revive the prime land of Gujarat from hazardous landfills, MoHUA has approved the central share of ₹144.85 crores for legacy waste remediation. A total of 148 ULBs across the State have proposed the approval to reclaim over 806 acres of prime land dumped under 19 lakhs metric tonnes of waste. ULB-Rajkot is looking to remediate around 6 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, while ULBs like Surendranagar-Wadhvan and Porbandar-Chhaya are trying to regain enormous land by the remediation of over 9 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste together. The two ULBs of Bhavnagar and Rajkot get the financial support for the formation of the C & D waste processing plant that will further the enhancement of the cities' aesthetics.
The issues of legacy waste management are inescapable, considering this, the Union government has approved the proposal of around 600 cities for legacy waste remediation across States like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, etc.
The efforts put under the waste management sector are conspicuous and remarkable milestones have been achieved under the Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0, prioritizing safety and sanitation for the betterment of the citizens.
For regular updates, please follow the Swachh Bharat Mission’s official website and social media properties:
Facebook: Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban | Twitter: @SwachhBharatGov|
YouTube: Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban | Instagram: sbm_urban
Ministry of Finance
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launches INR - USD Futures and Options contracts in the International Exchanges at GIFT-IFSC
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitaraman launched INR-USD Futures and Options contracts on the two International Exchanges, viz BSE’s India INX and NSE’s NSE-IFSC, at GIFT International Financial Services Centre at Gandhinagar today through video conference.
Over the last decade or so a significant market share in financial services related to India has moved to other international financial centres. Bringing this business to India is clearly beneficial in terms of economic activity and employment gains for India. The launch of INR-USD contracts at the exchanges in GIFT-IFSC is a step in this direction. This will be available 22 hours across all time zones for all global participants from GIFT IFSC.
Given the world class business environment and competitive tax regime at GIFT-IFSC, it is expected that trading of INR-USD contracts may bring volumes to India. This would also bring larger global participation in India through IFSC and connect India’s IFSC globally.
Ministry of Power
NTPC , a CPSU, Achieves 100 percent PLF at three of its power stations
The Maharatna exhibits exceptional operational efficiency despite lockdown
NTPC Ltd, a central PSU under Ministry of Power and India’s largest power generator, has achieved 100 percent Plant Load Factor  on 9th May 2020, at three of its thermal power stations. NTPC Vindhyachal  in Madhya Pradesh, NTPC Talcher Kaniha  in Odisha & NTPC Sipat  in Chhattisgarh achieved 100 percent PLF, demonstrating exceptional operational efficiency and optimum capacity utilisation despite lockdown on account of COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, NTPC Koldam in Himachal Pradesh is emerging as one of the best hydropower stations in the country for FY20-21.Earlier, on 13th April 2020, country's largest power station, NTPC Vindhyachal had achieved 100% plus PLF.
Beyond power output, NTPC is making a rich contribution to the social welfare activities for underprivileged section and migrant workers by providing ration and medical aid amidst COVID-19 situation. NTPC is strictly adhering to the guidelines in its fight against COVID-19 by maintaining social distancing at all its establishments and power stations across the country.
With NTPC Group’s total installed 62110 MW capacity, NTPC has 70 Power stations comprising of 24 Coal, 7 combined cycle gas/liquid fuel, 1 Hydro, 13 renewables along with 25 JV Power Stations.
Ministry of Communications
Reforms in Telecom Sector
Government is committed to reforms in telecom sector. The Government has approved various structural and procedural reforms in the telecom sector. These reforms include Rationalization of Adjusted Gross Revenue; Rationalization of Bank Guarantees; Rationalization of interest rates and removal of penalties; Dispensing with the requirement of BGs  to secure instalment payments; Permission for surrender of spectrum after 10 years ; Dispensing with the requirement of Spectrum Usage Charge  for spectrum acquired in spectrum auctions held after 15.09.2021; Removal of additional SUC of 0.5% for spectrum sharing; Permission for 100% Foreign Direct Investment  in telecom sector under automatic route subject to safeguards; Fixed time for spectrum auctions ; Requirement of licenses under 1953 Customs Notification for wireless equipment replaced with self-declaration; Permission for Self-KYC; e-KYC rate revised to only one Rupee; Dispensing with the requirement of fresh KYC for shifting from Prepaid to Post-paid and vice-versa; Replacement of paper Customer Acquisition Forms with digital storage of data; Easing SACFA clearance for telecom towers; and Addressing liquidity requirements of the Telecom Service Providers by way of moratorium/deferment. Government has also published draft Telecom Bill on 21st September, 2022. Regular consultations are carried out with industry, operators and their associations on various issues, including improving quality of services, bridging digital gap and ensuring security of the telecommunication networks.
Telecommunication facilities are not available in some of the villages in the country. The Union Cabinet on 27.07.2022 approved a project for saturation of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages of the country. To provide quality telecom services across the country, Government is implementing various schemes/projects under Universal Service Obligation Fund namely  Left Wing Extremism  projects;  Aspirational Districts scheme;  Commissioning of Submarine Optical Fibre Cable connectivity from Chennai to Andaman &Nicobar Islands;  Scheme for connecting submarine Optical Fibre Cable from Kochi to Lakshadweep Islands;  BharatNet  projects;  Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for mobile connectivity in the North Eastern Region; and  Provision of 4G mobile coverage in uncovered villages and seamless 4G mobile coverage of National Highway  in Andaman & Nicobar Islands etc. Government has also taken several policy initiatives to facilitate infrastructure growth for delivery of quality services. These include permitting trading/sharing/liberalisation of spectrum, sharing of passive & active infrastructure.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Communications, Shri Devusinh Chauhan in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Election Commission
Third Phase of General Elections in Bihar on 23rd April
82 candidates to contest from 5 Lok Sabha Constituencies
9076 polling stations in place for smooth conduct of polls
Bihar will go to polls in third Phase of General Elections on 23rd April. Polling will be held in 5 Parliamentary Constituencies  of Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepuraand Khagaria. 82 candidates are contesting for these 5 Lok Sabha seats.
As per the data issued by CEO Bihar office, there are total 8909263 voters, which includes 8899815 General Voters and 9448 Service voters. Out of 8899815 General voters, 4655306 are male voters, 4244284 are female voters and 225 are third gender voters.
9076 Polling stations have been set up for the smooth conduct of elections in the 3rdPhase in Bihar.
Details of Contesting Candidates:
|
|
Name of Political Parties
|
|
Number of Candidates
|
|
- Recognized National & State Political
Parties
|
|
Party Name
|
|
Male
|
|
Female
|
|
Total
|
|
AITC
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
BSP
|
|
3
|
|
1
|
|
4
|
|
BJP
|
|
1
|
|
0
|
|
1
|
|
CPI
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
CPI 
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
INC
|
|
0
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
NCP
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
RJD
|
|
3
|
|
0
|
|
3
|
|
JD 
|
|
3
|
|
0
|
|
3
|
|
LJP
|
|
1
|
|
0
|
|
1
|
|
RLSP
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
- Registered Political Parties 
|
|
35
|
|
1
|
|
36
|
|
- Independents
|
|
31
|
|
2
|
|
33
|
|
Total
|
|
77
|
|
5
|
|
82
Ministry of Science & Technology
DST Institute to partner Indian Navy in developing secure maritime communications using Quantum Technology
Quantum technologies will soon be used to develop secure maritime communications in a joint effort by the Raman Research Institute  and the Indian Navy.
RRI, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology , inked a Memorandum of Understanding  with the Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment , the R&D establishment of the Indian Navy, during a ceremony held in New Delhi recently. The MoU, which is for a period of five years, was signed between Professor Tarun Souradeep, Director, RRI, and Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani, Chief of Materiel, Indian Navy.
Under this agreement, RRI’s Quantum Information and Computing  lab will lead the research efforts towards developing quantum key distribution techniques that the Indian Navy could leverage in the nation's efforts towards securing free space communications.
The MoU was signed in New Delhi/ Credit: Indian Navy
“I am absolutely delighted that Indian Science and Technology ecosystem has been opening borders in recent years that enable talented and world-class researchers in the academic research institutions to contribute to the growth of Science and Technology capabilities in strategic areas of national importance. Porosity of the perceived boundary between fundamental and applied sciences as well as Science and Technology, will bode well in the coming decades. RRI feels proud to partner with WESEE in cutting edge Science and Technology," said Prof. Souradeep.
Professor Urbasi Sinha, Group Head, QuIC lab, said, “This is a great opportunity to use indigenously developed science and technology knowledge to serve our nation. We are excited with the collaboration and believe that with our expertise in the domain of secure quantum communications, we will be able to help foster cutting-edge research towards identification of potential maritime use-cases for the Indian Navy.”
This lab has been leading the country’s research in the field of secure quantum communication. Some of its major achievements include the development of an end-to-end simulation toolkit named “qkdSim”, ensuring safety in communication platforms, establishing secure communication between two buildings, and, more recently, between a stationary source and a mobile receiver. QuIC lab also happens to be India’s first laboratory to propose and implement a wide range of applications using single and entangled photons, particularly towards establishing secure communications in strategic areas like banking, defence, and cyber security.
For more details, Professor Urbasi Sinha may be contacted at usinha@rri.res.in
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Ministry of Defence
RAKSHA MANTRI TO DELIVER KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR PC LAL MEMORIAL LECTURE
The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri , Shri Rajnath Singh, shall deliver the Keynote Address for the 37th Air Chief Marshal PC Lal Memorial Lecture on 05 May 2022. The lecture has been organised by the Air Force Association and is planned to be conducted at the Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park, New Delhi at 5 pm. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, the President of the Air Force Association Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria  and senior officers of the IAF, both serving and retired, shall be in attendance. The previous edition of the lecture was conducted in 2019.
Air Chief Marshal PC Lal was commissioned in the IAF in 1939. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during the Burma Campaign in World War II. He served as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff during the 1965 war. While on deputation to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited  in 1966, he served as the Chairman and Managing Director of HAL. As the 7th Chief of the Air Staff during the 1971 war, his outstanding leadership proved to be a decisive factor for India’s victory and for the liberation of Bangladesh. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1972 for his contributions during the two wars. After retirement in 1973, he was appointed as the chairman and managing director  of Indian Airlines and later chairman of Air India.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Scientists develop energy-efficient hydrogen production by urea electrolysis
Indian Scientists have designed an electrocatalyst system for energy-efficient hydrogen production with the help of electrolysis of urea. The urea electrolysis is helpful towards urea-based waste treatment with low-cost hydrogen production. This can be utilized for energy production towards our country's benefits.
The energy requirement for production of hydrogen through water electrolysis can be reduced by 70 % through urea electrolysis. The energy-intensive counterpart of water splitting, oxygen evolution, can be replaced with urea oxidation in urea electrolysis. The low-cost, earth-abundant Ni-based catalysts are widely applied for this process. The main challenge associated with urea oxidation is retaining the prolonged activity of the catalyst as the strong adsorption of the reactive intermediate  on the active site, referred to as catalyst poisoning, causes activity loss.
Towards this end, Mr. Alex C, Mr. Gaurav Shukla, Mr. Muhammed Safeer N. K., and Dr. Neena S John from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences , an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India have developed this Nickel oxide  based system for producing hydrogen from electro-oxidation of urea.
In the series of research works published in the journals ‘Electrochimica Acta’ and ‘Journal of Materials Chemistry A, the scientists have explored electrocatalysts and shown that surface defective NiO and Ni2O3 systems having more Ni3+ ions are more efficient electrocatalysts than conventional NiO. They have used high-energy electron beams to produce surface defective unsaturated Ni sites in NiO . The study reveals that e-NiO prefers direct mechanism of urea electro-oxidation due to strong adsorption of urea molecule, whereas NiO favors indirect mechanism with low activity. Further, the prominent electrocatalyst poison COx could be removed by adjusting the molar ratio of KOH and Urea with improved kinetics.
The researchers, Alex and Gaurav, are of the opinion that the e-beam treatment is an effective way to produce a large number of coordinatively unsaturated active sites on electrocatalysts. It was observed that these generated sites effectively adsorb urea and favors direct urea electro-oxidation mechanism . The researcher, Safeer, continued the studies on another Ni3+ oxide system , revealing that active species Ni3+O on Ni2O3 possess high COx tolerance than NiO. The active species of high valent Ni oxide system has a profound effect on catalyst activity.
The urea electrolysis is helpful towards urea-based waste treatment with low-cost hydrogen production. India is one of the top countries by urea production, and it produced 244.55 LMT of urea during 2019-20. The nitrogenous fertilizer industries generate a high concentration of ammonia and urea as effluents. This can be utilized for energy production towards our country's benefits.
Publication link:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2021.13842 .
https://doi.org/10.1039/D1TA05753G
For more details, Dr. Neena S John
 can be contacted.